Picture Book: Painting Process & Technique
My Painting Process & Technique for Illustrating a Picture Book.
This is my favorite part! In this post, I’ll walk you through my process from concept to final for one illustration. The finals are all handpainted. I’m a Fine Artist at heart, so having a finished handpainted piece to hang on the wall has meaning to me (A post for another day).
Step 01: Pencil Sketches
POINT 01: Sketch like no one is watching
I grab a cup of tea and sit on my couch with my sketchbook, pencil, and eraser…this is where I brainstorm.
POINT 02: Be super loose
My first sketches are rough and not meant for anyone but me. I’m not thinking of details, just what might happen in the scene.
POINT 03: Mish Mosh on the computer
Once I have a handful of sketches, I scan them into Photoshop and bring them into a vertical or horizontal layout template. This way, I can start playing with the layout of the page. I leave room for the gutter, bleed, and consider where the text would be placed. I do a few layouts with different concepts. Then, I choose my favorite and move on to the value study.
Step 02: Value Study
POINT 01: Focusing The Viewer’s Eye
I decide where I want the viewer to look. What is the most important part that relates to the story? I focus my strongest contrast and saturation in that area.
POINT 02: Photoshop is My Friend
Playing with value on the computer is the most efficient way to think through it. I can make the image the size of a postage stamp to see how it reads. I can also separate my medium and dark values into separate layers so it’s easier to adjust them.
POINT 03: Revisit Scale and Details
When assessing value, I tend to notice where I need to simplify my drawing. I want my image to read as clearly as possible. So, I find myself revisiting the details and scale of some areas. Nothing drastic, but it helps with the overall read.
Step 03: Color Study
POINT 01: Choose A Color Palette
This is where playing with paints comes in handy. I love to mix colors to inspire me. In this case, it’s a winter scene, so I played a lot with blues and pale warms. There are many directions to go, so I cherry-pick what appeals to my tastes and what I feel works best for the story.
POINT 02: Color Play!
Once I’ve selected a color palette, I play with color in Photoshop. But, I keep in mind my value study throughout.
POINT 03: Match Computer Colors to actual Watercolor
Once I am happy with my color mock-up on the computer, I draw out the scene in pencil on watercolor paper and make myself a “color map.” This is where I’m deciding which watercolors I’m going to use for each area of the painting. You can see an example in the picture above. This is very helpful when I’m painting. Note: I’m not pushing my values in the “color map”, I’ll do that in the final.
POINT 04: Prep Board
I prefer to choose an overall color to texture my board with. I select this color based on the color palette. In this case, it was white with Bright Aqua green.
Mixed Media
I prep my board with a lot of texture because I love the yummy depth it gives in a painting. I then paint with watercolor using my “color map.” This stage is not precise, it’s more about matching the value and color I laid out in the steps prior. Once I’ve achieved that, I’ll go into detail using colored pencils, pens, gouache, tissue paper collage, etc. I mix it up! I tend to use gouache towards the end for faces.
I took some videos of me working on this piece, so I’ll be posting that compilation here when it’s ready. Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, always feel free to instant message me on Instagram @yomtobillustration.
